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"Series Becomes a Little Repetitive"

Great First Book!

This was one of the first books I read by Sophie Kinsella and I've also recently watched the hit film starring Isla Fisher.

The Premise

This features Becky Bloomwood who as the title suggests is a shopaholic. She cannot stop spending, and a as a small time writer is not making the money required to fund it. This means she is falling farther and farther into debt. This is until she lands job at a financial magazine, writing a column giving financial advise and falling for her boss.

My Opinion

As with most of Kinsella books the writing just flows. The story is fun and witty and throughout the book I felt a really connection to her. She makes so many silly mistakes and her whole live revolves around, the latest jigshaw skirt. This means that when a spiteful interjection from someone else comes and it all starts to fall apart for Becky, I really start to feel for her. The story is a little unbelievable at times, but books don't always have to be so honest to real life. This book did make me laugh and cry and from a piece of chick lit that is all I can ask for.

Would I recommend this book?

If you like Marian Keyes, the chances are you would like Sophie Kinsella. This is a great easy read and is the perfect holiday book. This can be bought for the kindle for around £3 or in print at around £8, as her books are quite popular you won't have too much trouble finding them.

Also try Can you keep a Secret? by her - that one is fab!

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"laugh out loud funny "

" easy to read"

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A fun read

I love chick lit and the shopaholic books are one of my favourite series of books. Because the new Shopaholic book is due to be released soon I thought that I would re-read the series before the new one is out.

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic is the first book in the Shopaholic series and it is about a girl named Becky Bloomwood who as the title suggests is a complete shopaholic and always after beautiful things. Unfortunately she isn’t rich and most of what she is buying is on credit.

The book follows Becky as she lurches from one disaster to the next while trying to get herself out of the financial hole she has dug for herself. Unfortunately there are always new shoes and clothes that she just can’t resist.

I think that every girl can relate to Becky a bit as we all want nice things but she just takes it too far. The character could come across as annoying but luckily she is written so well that you end up just wanting to be her best friend. All the other characters are just as well written and I want to be friends with both Becky and her best friend Suze. Because it is chick lit of course there is the prerequisite love interest Brandon who sounds dreamy and just the type of man that I could find myself falling for in my fantasies.

The book is laugh out loud funny and even on the second read when I knew what was coming I found myself chuckling aloud at it. The funniest parts are just the ridiculous situations that Becky manages to find herself in while trying to evade her debtors. The funniest part is when she tries for a new job and lies on her CV and I ended up having to put the book down during this part because I was laughing so much.

This book is real escapism and a perfect summer read to escape the doldrums of real life and lose yourself in someone else’s life for a few hours. It is so easy to read that I found I had finished half the book when I had only meant to read a couple of chapters. It is light frothy and fun and perfect for when you want something fun and easy to read and nothing depressing. It will cheer you up and will definitely raise a few giggles.

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i would recommend

I was recommend this book by a friend, who said she has become addicted to the whole series, and unlike myself it takes a good book to keep her interested so i was very excited to start reading it. I did read the book before i watched the film, as i feel films do not always do a book and the author justice. I must say i really liked this book, the whole series is by far one of my favorites. I think the main reason i loved this book so much is because i could really relate the the main character as i myself am a shopaholic, so Sophie Kinsela had built a connection was right from the start. She has a very good writing style, its very upbeat and light, so is a very enjoyable easy read.

Rebecca Bloomwood is a journalist for a financial company which makes it all the more ironic when we find out she is a shopaholic, she can not walk the streets without entering a shop a buying something. Her job is not something she loves but she does it cause she needs the money and with credit card bills building up she needs it. No matter how hard she tries she just can not stop shopping and she finds herself getting deeper and deeper into debt.

The plot of the story has a very serious under tone to it, picking up on a topic many of us can associate with in some shape or form; debt. But the overall tone of the book is very light hearted as we laugh with Rebecca Bloomwood and see how similarly we would react in the same situations. We connect so easily with Rebecca, thanks to Kinsela's vivid descriptions of the gorgeous shoes and clothes, as well as the statistically placed letters from her bank manager, we understand that urge to shop, and know just how easy it is to get carried away.

Overall i would definitely recommend this book as its very funny and an easy read, perfect if you are looking for a holiday read. It takes you away from the stresses of your own life and reminds us we are not alone in the financial struggle. The book is driven by a passion for the good life, pretty fashion and love. Its perfect for any girly girl out there. One of Sophie Kinsela's best works. I am officially hooked.

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A good light read - entertaining and not taxing

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic is the first in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series and came out in 2000. The series is still going strong, with the newest book Mini Shopaholic coming out about a year ago, and an American film being made of this first book a few years ago.

I have read The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic a few times. It was first recommended to me by my mum as she had enjoyed it and found it really funny. I am not into chick lit in a big way but I do enjoy the occasional authors who manage to create something a bit different, funny and well done, for example I like Marian Keyes and Helen Fielding's Bridget Jones books, so my mum thought Sophie Kinsella would appeal to me and she was right.

=== The story in brief ===

The story is about Rebecca Bloomwood, a 25 year old journalist living in "trendy Fulham" (as her boss always says) with her best friend Suze and working on Successful Savings magazine, although she would much rather be working for the likes of Vogue. Although Rebecca writes about finance for a living, she is clueless about her own finances and utterly hopeless with money. She can barely control herself when she goes shopping and can't resist a bargain, meaning she has run up some debts and is trying to avoid any contact with her bank manager, who desperately wants to contact her to get her dismal finances sorted out. As her finances go from bad to worse and her love life is not looking great either, she accidentally uncovers a scandal in the finance world and actually makes a success of reporting it. Will she manage to get her life back on track?

=== What I thought ===

Rebecca does come across as exceptionally dopy in some ways - she has some of the typical chicklit characteristics which you can recognise from the likes of Bridget Jones and make me wonder how someone could be so clueless, yet somehow Sophie Kinsella manages to make her quite likeable. The other characters are not portrayed in as much detail as Rebecca but I think you do get a good idea of some of the peripheral people such as Rebecca's parents and their friends Janice and Martin. These come across as very likeable. The two love interests, Tarquin and Luke, are very different and both interesting characters. I am glad that Rebecca ended up with the one which she did - and to be honest it is quite clear which one is more suited to her. I like the way the relationship develops as we see how the characters interact over time.

This book is enjoyable, easy to read, funny and just simple entertainment. It is not taxing on the brain and it is a bit silly in parts, but I think it is quite well written and of a higher standard than a lot of the generic chick lit out there.

I would recommend it as a good summer holiday read or one to keep you amused while travelling. I was really glad I had this with me while stuck on a delayed train for one and a half hours the other day!

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Rebecca spends and spends and spends but does she have the cash or credit?

On a mission to try and complete the six book challenge www.sixbookchallenge.org.uk from the works library.Read six books chosen by my library from different categories within 3 months, with the incentives of a free bookmark with first book read, cup mat with second and mug on completion!

Any library can sign up to do this or a variation of it from local libraries to prisons and I think it is a great idea especially when library participants are dwindling. Plus you get the added advantage of reading some books that may never have occurred to you before broadening your horizons.

So book number on is - The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Rebecca Bloomwood is a financial whiz kid, living in trendy Fulham, earning lots of money and spends it like it goes out of fashion. This is what everyone else thinks at least, but it is only partly true..........

Rebecca writes for the paper Successful Saving and apparently knows far less about finance than others think, her apartment in Fulham is a shared flat with her best friend, she earns a reasonable salary but, yes she spends money like it goes out of fashion. Unfortunately this spending on high end "bargains" is more than her income and she has succumbed to significant debt, receiving demand letters from all over the place.

So how does she get out of this mess? At first she tries to spend less - never going to happen, then tries to meet the right people with cash to flash - not really happening, so get another job perhaps that's the answer?

****SO WHAT DO I THINK?****

This is a fun loving book which is easy to read with a feel good factor added in.

Rebecca is a great character which has elements of many of us in her persona, she loves to buy nice things but runs up debts on her credit cards. The problem is it gets way to out of hand. Although the story is light hearted in does have an under current whereby you can see she is trying, not very well, but is trying and knows what she should do to get herself out of the problems she is in.There is a lot of unrealistic parts to the story in how Rebecca ends up eventually making some money but then if it was all doom and gloom it would not make a good story or be feel good for that matter. Does she make enough to get her out of trouble? You will have to read to find out but the fast pace of the book gives details of each little hatched plan, amidst which you get letters from banks and visa cards to which Rebecca either ignores or creates lies to cover her tracks/debts.

In the end Rebecca finds romance and a whole new side to herself, a mature women of business that was itching to get out.

RRP is about £7 but it is currently on www.Amazon.co.uk for £5 roughly and anything from 1pence second-hand on Kindle it costs about £5 also.

This review maybe posted on dooyoo and ciao under the same username.

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An easy, enjoyable, page turner of a read

I was given this book as part of this year's World Book Night (for those of you who don't know what this is but are interested, see www.worldbooknight.org). My preference of genre to read will always be thriller but I do like a good chic lit book occasionally if I need a break from guns and blood and suspense! This book was given to me after a stint of reading 5 thrillers in a row and I was starting to dream about terrorists and murderers so thought I should read something a little less violent! So it came along at just the right time.

The cover of the book appealed to me with its colourful typefont and a picture of a woman surrounded by shopping bags, looking at a long sheet of paper headed 'Bills'

I had heard of Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series but hadn't actually got around to reading any of them yet so I was not sure what to expect with Kinsella's writing style but picked up the book with an open mind. I'm pleased to say I wasn't disappointed.

***************So what's it about?***************

From the Back:

'Meet Rebecca Bloomwood. She has a great flat, a fabulous wardrobe full of the season's must-haves, and a job telling other people how to manage their money. She spends her leisure time...shopping. Retail therapy is the answer to all her questions. She knows she should stop, but she can't. She tries Cutting Back, she tries Making More Money. But neither seems to work. The letters from the bank are getting harder to ignore. Can Becky ever escape from this dreamworld, find true love, and regain the use of her credit card? The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic...the perfect pick me up for when it's all hanging in the (bank) balance.'

I won't go into the story in too much detail as I think it would spoil it if you do choose to read this book. But, in short, Rebecca loves spending money. Whatever it is on and wherever she spends it, she gets a buzz from handing over her credit card and taking her goods home in a crisp, new carrier bag. Letters from the bank are either hidden in drawers or responded to with the most ridiculous excuses. Bored of her job, apart from the free cocktails and lunches, she goes shopping for a bit of excitement. But unfortunately, as Rebecca discovers, the party must end sometime. She has to start taking action and dealing with the consequences. But will she ever be able to stop the spending?!

*********My Opinion*********

I found this an easy, enjoyable read which, thanks to the glorious weather we had a couple of weeks ago, read it over a weekend in the garden.

Kinsella had me laughing out loud at points and I actually saw a resemblance to Rebecca in myself when she was trying to justify why she absolutely needed that new handbag or pair of shoes and dreaming what she would spend her lottery winnings on if she won the jackpot. I could relate to Rebecca so easily that I warmed to her right from the start. I'm pleased to say that I've tried to be a bit more frugal over the past few years but some of the scenes in this book could literally have been lifted out of my life!

The chapters are relatively short and the story is fast paced that I found myself zooming through it to see what situations Rebecca would get herself into next. A quirky addition to the book, which aided in its enjoyment, was the inclusion of the letters from the bank, credit and store card company providers etc. It is these such letters that commence the book and sets the scene for the story to come. The content of the first letter suggests why Rebecca is in the situation she is and the following 3 make it clear that Rebecca is not inclined to pay off her debts and is happy to ignore the situation at hand. These letters are then interspersed throughout the rest of the book - at the end of chapters - which, not only tell a story in themselves so that Kinsella does not have to (as Rebecca) but are a clever way of keeping the reader interested.

The characters are well thought out and captured perfectly, there were none that I felt didn't fit with the story or the location set. Kinsella gives the reader enough description of the characters that, for me, they actually started having faces and I could visualise them when reading. This is not something I am always able to do if I am not connecting with the story.

Overall, I was very pleased with this book. I enjoyed it much more than I thought I would and am definitely going to read the next in the series soon.

As I said, I was given a free copy of this book but - at the time of writing - you can get it from Amazon from 1p (used) and £2.94 (new) for a paperback copy and £4.94 for a kindle download.

Thanks for reading-x-

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It's a light read that is a prime example of chick lit done superbly well.

I read a great blogpost the other day about 'pop culture comfort food,' in which the author talked about books, films and music that might not be cool or smart or intellectually challenging, but they make you feel better about a bad situation, or pick you up when you're feeling a bit down. This book, along with a few others such as Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, is a go-to for me when I need a little pick me up at the end of a hard day.

The Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic is the story of Becky Bloomwood, a twenty something financial journalist who is fun, bubbly, popular and saddled with thousands of pounds worth of debt. Whilst at work she spends her time writing articles on which savings accounts give the best returns, at home she hides her credit card statements and ignores warning letters.

I have read all the books in this series (there are six now) and this, the original, is definitely the best.

Becky is a kind, funny, outgoing character who I instantly took a liking to. She lives with her super rich housemate Suze, and they have a firm friendship because they are both so loyal and supportive of each other. Becky's parents are your typical middle class retirees, and the more Becky's mum features in the story, the more you start to realise where Becky gets her spendaholic ways from! The two of them are very similar - they both have hearts of gold but they share that weakness for shopping. The other main character is, of course, the leading man: Luke Brandon, founder of a financial PR company who is taken by Becky's unusual and creative approach to things. The romantic thread to the story takes a while to get going, but it's very good when it does and I was very interested to find out what happened between them.

The first time I read this I was completely immersed in it and I think I read the whole thing in about three hours. You engage with the characters so much that you really want to know what happens to them. It's so easy to identify with Becky because almost all of us have bought things we couldn't really afford in the past, just perhaps not quite to the same extent. There are a few scenes where Becky is going round a shop picking different items up and when she gets to the till she is shocked at the high price, thinking she had only got a few bits. I know I've done that plenty of times, and felt the same sense of surprise! The first person narrative helps with this, because you hear the well meaning justification behind so many of Becky's actions.

Each chapter is interspersed with letters that Becky receives from banks and credit card companies and other such organisations. Their replies to Becky's imaginative but possibly impractical suggestions had me laughing out loud every time! They break up the chapters nicely and add something a little different.

Things come to a head eventually and Becky realises she has to take action. Her dad suggests she should either cut back, or make more money. She decides to try cutting back, and buys a book about how to make savings in your every day life. I had to laugh at that part because the advice in the book really isn't that helpful to start with and although she tries to follow it there is always a reason why she just needs to buy this one thing first. Unfortunately, I recognised a lot of her justifications as ones I have used in the past! Later she tries making more money, and unsurprisingly that doesn't go too well either, and leads to more amusing letters being sent to Becky.

After finishing the book for the first time, I felt like I really knew Becky, and this was compounded every time I read the book again. She is just exactly the kind of person you'd love to have as your friend - funny, imaginative and loyal. Kinsella has created a wonderful character and her prose is excellent - I'm just about falling about laughing every time I read it. Another thing I loved about these books was Luke, Becky's love interest. He is one of the most attractive fictional characters I've ever read and I definitely fancy him a lot! It is a testament to how likeable Becky is that I don't hate her for having Luke show interest in her!

Of course, the subject of debt is getting more and more serious as in these troubled times more people are having to turn to credit cards and personal loans just to get by. This book does treat the subject a little lightly, especially towards the end. I think if you had serious financial difficulties of your own, you could possibly find that this book cuts a little close to the bone, and it could make you feel a little bit worse about your situation. On the other hand, I think we could all use a good laugh at the moment, so why not embrace the funny side of things and enjoy this for the light piece of entertainment that it is?

This is available online from about £3, and it's definitely worth that.

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A good book I'm certainly going to try some more of Sophie Kinsella books

I have just come back from two weeks holiday and have a few books to review, this is a real holiday read, it's not normally something I'd pick up but a friend had lent it to me so I thought I'd give it a go.

The Secret dreamworld of a Shopaholic is by Sophie Kinsella, I've not read any of her books before, this book is the first in a series of shopaholic books.

It's very girly! Rebecca Bloomwood is just an average financial journalist just scraping by because she's not really a great journalist! She is basically in debt and it's getting worse, she tries to avoid thinking about it by dreaming about winning the lottery or suddenly coming into money. The more she thinks like this the more in debt she's getting being drawn into money saving idea's and scams.

I wasn't expecting it to be commical but it was, I found myself chuckling to myself at how easy it is to feel like she does in real life!! how we all dream of winning the lottery and what we would do! Even more hilarious was the fact that she was supposed to be a financial journalist and know all about finances and what to do. She keeps getting into difficult situations and I could feel myself squirming for her! It wasn't too soppy, although obviously her love life comes into it!. Sophie Kinsella has captured the struggles we all have with finances (ok so it's blown out of proportion in the book! but...) in a humourous way and kept me captured - I couldn't put the book down.

It was an easy read and very enjoyable I would certainly recommend this especially for a holiday book. I won't spoil the story as I think that spoils a book review!

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Great chic flic would recommend to anyone want a giggle

I read this book about a year ago after hearing that it was a good chic-flic that was highly recommended. And as I started reading I fell in love with the character rebecca and began to relate to her in so many ways. This character can truly call herself a shopaholic unlike me who is nowhere near her! Rebecca loves to spend even on things that she knows she probably does not need but just cant resist herself when looking through the glass window. However caught up in all her spending and feeling fabulous in all the products she has she begins to spiral down into debt, knowing she is in deep trouble but continually not being able to pull herself out of the rut that she is getting herself into.

A great book to sit down and read and the writing of this makes you relate to the character so well even if your not a shopaholic the incidents that happen throughout this book make you giggle and truly love this witty chic flic!

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see review

I bought this book for 30p from my local charity shop when I was at a loss for something to read, I never expected that I would soon become addicted to it and all the other books in the shopaholic series.this is my review for The secret dreamworld of a shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella.

The plot: Rebecca Bloomwood is a financial journalist for a magazine called successful saving, she spends her working day telling other people how to manage their money, but Becki has a secret that would ruin her career if anyone found out.Becki is in serious debt and she must find a way to either make more money or to save money to pay off her credit cards.The only thing stopping her from succeding however is the fact that she loves to spend.

Throw in her rich best friend, Suze and the tall, dark and handsome business tycoon, Luke and this story will have you laughing until you cry.

If I were to compare this book to anything, I would have to say it has a Bridget Jones feel to it.The way the story is told is from Becki's point of view in a sort of narrative style and as a bridget jones fan I did really get into the story.

This book is a comedy as Becki gets herself in some rather sticky situations and when she tries to get herself out of them, i was rolling about in fits of giggles.The book does have a romantic element to it aswell so it's perfect for people who love both romance and comedy.

I have since bought all the other books in this series and have loved every single one of them, but those are reviews for another time, but overall this book is really worth reading.

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A decent book starting off the Shopaholic series.

While browsing the local charity shop for a new read I was instantly attracted to the name 'Sophie Kinsella' as I have already read some books of hers before and been very pleased with the writing quality.

Rebecca Bloomwood is a financial journalist, but she is also a secret debt-ridden shopaholic. Her days are spent trudging through her life, working, and fantasising about earning more money and no longer being in debt. She also seems to spend her spare time avoiding opening letters from her debtors and trying not to bump in to them at financial events. Rebecca is best friends with Suze & they live together in 'trendy Fulham' as her boss aptly refers to it. Rebecca could be quite good at her job if only she put her mind to it and we follow her throughout the book as she attempts to stumble through life always looking for the silver lining whilst constantly fighting her battle to clear her debt and make her life run as smoothly as possible.

I believe that this is the first book in the 'Shopaholic' series by Sophie Kinsella yet I have already read several of the books before this one. I found that the book tied in very well with the rest of the series and it was lovely to be able to find out some information about Rebecca and how she came to meet the man she is married to in the later books. The story was a little slow to begin and gradually built up throughout. I found that the ending of the book was a little hurried and I could easily read where the story was going about 15 or 20 pages before the end which was exciting and disappointing at the same time. Although, I must say, I doubt that I would have been able to guess so freely had I not read the majority of the books which follow on from this one.

The quality of the writing is quite high in this book, as with the rest of the series, and I found this book easy to keep up with throughout. There was always something to keep me reading and I found that I completed it in just a couple of days. I loved the characters in this book and often found myself fantasising about socialising in the kind of circles that Rebecca did and wearing the kind of clothes that she was blowing her money on.

The storyline was one that I thoroughly enjoyed and it was definite a real 'chick lit' book with the kind of ending that I have come to expect of this kind of book if I am honest.

I would firmly recommend this book if chick lit is the kind of genre that you enjoy reading. I mainly enjoyed this book whilst relaxing in the bath and it really did not require too much effort to breeze through and keep up with the story whilst having a nice soak!

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An unexpected enjoyable read

I borrowed this book off my sister years ago when I'd managed to go through all my books. She had recommended it to me, but I had been a bit dubious about reading it as it is Chick-Lit novel, a genre that until then I had steered clear of, but I gave it a go. And I'm glad I did.

Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic (or Confessions of a Shopaholic in the US) is written in first person, from the point of Rebecca Bloomwood. Becky is a financial journalist, who spends her days advising people how to manage their money - a job that she does very well. However, Becky has a secret. Although she is able to talk & advise about managing money, she doesn't really have much of a clue about finance - and is into her overdraft. And has a store card....or two....possibly three. The book follows Becky through her almost addiction to spending, as she finds reasons to keep spending, such as it being an investment or something for a friend. With her debts increasing daily, Becky tries to find more & more ways to solve her problems, sometimes with hilarious consequences, whilst trying to avoid worrying her parents or her best friend, Suze.

The book is well put together, with most chapters starting with letters from Becky's bank manager, or offers for her to get a new credit card, which I think works quite well, and is sometimes quite amusing. The excuses and stories Becky comes up with throughout the book get wilder and wilder, and I sometimes found myself almost biting my nails & panicking along with her. The ending isn't as predictable as I expected; in fact I must admit it was a bit of a twist that I hadn't expected at all, which made the book even better in my opinion because it kept you guessing right up until the end, something which I hadn't expected from a Chick-Lit novel.

I enjoyed the writing style; I almost forgot at times that it was a book I was reading, I was able to get really involved in the story. It wasn't far-fetched at all which made it easier to relate to Becky; especially now that I've read it again a few years on and now can understand some parts to a greater extent than I did. It is definitely what I would call an 'easy read', as there's nothing too complicated, it's almost a chatty writing style. It is a book that I am able to read in less than a day - but this doesn't mean that it's not worth a read, it generally means that I don't want to put it down because it's quite gripping in places.

The book is 320 pages long, and very well written. It is not over-complicated, but I have found throughout the series' that an almost innocuous event may be key later on, but it is not obvious which events could be key, so doesn't ruin the plot later on. Although I still do not enjoy some Chick-Lit novels, including some other works of Sophie Kinsella, I definitely loved this one, and I do often find myself picking it up for a quick, enjoyable read.

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A great book, reecommended to all shopoholics!

This is a great book! It is funny and well-written and if you love shopping, you can really relate to the main character. The perfect pick-up read!

It tells the story of Rebecca Bloomwood, a financial journalist who advises other people how to use their money wisely.However, she would never be able to take on her own advice, as she is obsessed with shopping, and buys things whenever possible.Her debts are increasing rapidly, and she tries to come up with loads of ways to deal with them, such as winning the lottery and trying to cook her own food rather than buying expensive sandwiches and coffee. Whenever she buys something, she manages to justify it in her own way (e.g. an expensive bag is an 'investment').At the start of most chapters, there are copies of 'letters' from her bank manager/credit card companies etc. which breaks up the story a little bit and are a really good addition.You can buy the book for just £4.91 at Amazon.co.uk, and it is the type of book you can read over and over again, so you will definitely get your money's worth!This book is hilarious and I would recommend to anyone who loves to shop!

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Becky Bloomwood, Financial Advisor / Out Of Control Shopoholic,

The First in the "Shopaholic" series and the benchmark for the rest of the books, which totally and competely meet to this expectation and beyond.

Becky Bloomwood, a Financial Advisor for Successful Saving Magazine is an out of control Shopaholic, and credit cards maxed out to the limit.Each chapter in he book starts with hilariously written letters between Becky and her creditors featuring rediculous excuses and reasonings as to why she hasnt paid her debts.Her path with Luke Brandon crosses during a meeting when she accidentally stage whispers that she needs to borrow "Twenty Quid", passing it to the back of the room he asks what it is for and she falsely admits its for a present for her Great Aunt Ermitrude who is ill.Onwards they keep meeting by accident and un beknown to eachother their feelings start to grow.Living with her friend Suze, Becky tries to come up with different ways to make more money to pay her bills, whil fobbing the Bank Managers phonecalls off with tales of Glandular Fever, Broken Legs and Dead Dogs. One of the ways is to make stylish frames that come flat-packed and ready, Becky has no clue and thats where Suze finds her vocation in life, making ultra-hip, chic and stylish frames.Will Becky ever find her way out of debt????

An absolute side splitting arrange of excuses and evasions.

I adore this book and adore Becky Bloomwood so much that my copy is dog eared and wouldnt look mis-placed in a landfill but I love it. The excuses and the hilarious attitude that Becky has is infectious and I think that most girls would aspire to be like this ditzy character - minus the debt.

A genuine Laugh Out Loud.

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Brilliant chic lit book

Confessions of a Shopaholic is a Modern Fiction (Chic Lit) book written by Author Sophie Kinsella - who has also written other books using the name Madeline Wickham. Kinsella is probably more well known for her Shopaholic Series of books; one of which was made into a film more recently; Confessions of a Shopaholic. In all there are 5 books in the Shopaholic Series the first of them being Confessions of a Shopaholic which was also known as Secret Dreamworld of a Shopaholic. To be honest I wouldn't have normally picked up this type of book however I had read a lot of Sophie Kinsella book reviews on here and they were all positive ones so when I notice the Shopaholic Series of books in the local Charity shop I decided to purchase the Shopaholic Book's and see what I thought of them.

The first book in the Shopaholic Series is Confessions of a Shopaholic which was published in 2001 - However there was an earlier edition of this book which was entitled Secret Confessions of a Shopaholic (I made the mistake of buying purchasing both only to realise later that they were in fact the same book) You can tell by the title of the book that the plot is about a Shopaholic and this Shopaholic's name is Rebecca (Becky) Bloomwood. Becky Bloomwood works as a financial journalist for the Successful Saving's Magazine earning a Salary of £20,000. She lives with her best friend come flat mate Suze in a flat in Fulham. As previously mentioned Becky is a complete Shopaholic and likes to shop in all the big designer shops buying stuff she can't really afford and paying for the items on her Credit and Store Cards; her out of control shopping habit catches up with her and she ends up with lots of Credit Card and Store Card bills which are unpaid and the debt is spiralling - not to mention the Over Draft on her bank account, things just keep getting worse for Becky as despite the debt she is still spending like mad. She seems to think that if she just ignores the bills that they will go away - or if she drops the bills in the street or in a skip that some kind stranger will pay them for her and her shopping sprees can continue. Will Becky spending habits continue or will she see that she needs to cut back and face reality. Becky's dad gives her some advice about her spending habits - he quite clearly tells her to cut back or make more money. Becky tries both methods - does she eventually see the error of her ways or is she as bad as ever......

I really enjoyed reading this book and to be honest it was quite hard to put down as you really get to like the character Becky and all of the others in the book. Admittedly Becky is a little naive and gullible and totally addicted to spending but you can't help liking her as she seems like a really down to earth sweet character. In some parts of the book Becky's character comes across as being quite immature as she can't seem to face reality, grow up and take responsibility of her spending habits and her life - she is constantly making up excuses and eventually they catch up with her.

The way Sophie Kinsella has constructed this book is brilliant, it is such a simple story line but yet Kinsella seems to create really likable lovable characters who are quite simply hilarious at times. We have a huge mix of characters in this book from the extravagant big spender, the sensible friend, the bitch at the office, the loving parents and not to mention a gorgeous guy.

At 368 pages Confessions of a Shopaholic isn't a very long book, in fact you will whizz through it in no time. In-fact I had finished this book in one day - I was having a lazy Sunday and read the book cover to cover. If you like comedy, romance and reading you will definitely love this book. It has to be right up the top of my favourite books list and Sophie Kinsella has to be one of my favourite authors (I have read all of her other books so this is why I have made this decision)

The other books in the Shopaholic Series are -

Shopaholic AbroadShopaholic Ties the KnotShopaholic and SisterShopaholic and Baby

All of the above books are also extremely well written and enjoyable to read.